Thursday, November 24, 2011

thanksgiving is my favorite holiday of the year for many reasons -- not the least of which is that it's a holiday that actually encourages you to stop, take stock and be grateful for the things you have.

this year i feel like my life is bubbling over with happinesses. i have so much to be thankful for and everything is made all the better by looking back on recent thanksgivings and the state of my life then. three years ago i was newly unemployed. two years ago i was newly single (and still unemployed). last year i had just changed jobs but was optimistic. this year my job is the last thing on my mind.

in the past year -- scratch that -- in the past eight months everything has changed. sometimes, things can happen that fast or even faster. first, there was ginger, a dog i had always longed for who tipped my selfish city life on its head and taught me how to put other things before myself. then came shawn, a guy who was unlike all the rest: caring, thoughtful, funny, smart, successful and open to the possibility of love and commitment even when it's least expected. and, finally, just a few weeks ago i learned i had been accepted to columbia business school, which means i'll be a student again in august and this time next year i'll be in a completely different place once again.

when your life takes a dramatic shift it's usually for the worst. my broad sweeps of good luck have always followed with bad. although i'm hopeful that this time that won't be the case, i'm prepared just in case. and that won't stop me from being thankful today for what helped me get to where am i right now -- even if it all falls apart tomorrow.

so, in no particular order, here is a list of things i am thankful for this year, thanksgiving 2011: my family; ginger the cutest morkie in all the land; love; roommates; amazing friends near and far; professional mentors and all my colleagues who teach me and push me daily; early admission; doggie day care and wee wee pads (integral to my life with ginger); pie; jeggings and the health and happiness of everyone.

Saturday, January 1, 2011

to celebrate 2011, i've taken some time to update my freelancer profile on mediabistro.com. this year was filled with so many amazing assignments, from interviewing InStyle managing editor ariel foxman, to meeting all the real housewives, chatting with vinny (from the jersey shore) on the phone for an hour, and launching my text messaging and dating column, textual healing. i also managed to score my first article in a national women's magazine. yes, most of the work i'm most proud of from 2010 came from crushable, which i'm proud to say i helped found and launch in february. (it is now in the very capable hands of editor meghan keane and deputy editor drew grant, and i help them out by overseeing biz dev and social media efforts for crushable and its sister sites thegloss.com and blisstree.com.) but, i'm proud of all my freelance work, too.

welcome to amanda in the city

it's been ten years since i moved to new york city. in that time, i've held six full-time jobs, lived in five different apartments in two boroughs with six different roommates (plus one dog), spent two years in business school and have been laid off once. in the midst of it all, i have picked up some lessons on work, love and life, and i would like nothing more than to share my experiences and insights with you here.

i graduated from columbia business school and work in business development. i am the former business development and social media manager for digital media network b5media. i was previously deputy editor of crushable.com and before that i covered media as the editor of fishbowlny. see more of my work here